Method, apparatus, device and storage medium for wireless connection

Abstract

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, apparatuses, devices, methods and storage media for wireless connection are provided. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a first apparatus receives a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with the first apparatus. The device discovery request comprises a first address associated with the first terminal device. The first apparatus transmits the device discovery request in a broadcast manner. The first apparatus receives a discovery response from a second apparatus for the device discovery request by a second terminal device associated with the second apparatus. The discovery response comprises the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device. The first apparatus further forwards the discovery response to the first terminal device based on the first address.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to the field of communication technology, and particularly to methods, apparatus, devices, and computer-readable storage media for wireless connectivity. Background Technology

[0002] Channel Direct Link Establishment (TDLS) is a Wi-Fi peer-to-peer (P2P) technology. A key feature of TDLS is that it encapsulates setup frames within data frames, enabling transparent transmission through the access point. Multiple devices can establish TDLS connections through the access point. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for wireless connectivity is provided. The first apparatus includes: at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which are executed by the at least one processor to cause the first apparatus to: receive a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with the first apparatus, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; broadcast the device discovery request; receive a discovery response from a second device associated with the second device in response to the device discovery request, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; and forward the discovery response to the first terminal device based on the first address.

[0004] In a second aspect of this disclosure, another wireless connectivity apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which are executed by the at least one processor to cause the second apparatus to: receive a device discovery request from a first apparatus, the device discovery request including a first address associated with a first terminal device; broadcast the device discovery request; receive a discovery response from a second terminal device associated with the second apparatus in response to the device discovery request, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; and forward the discovery response to the first terminal device via the first apparatus based on the first address.

[0005] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that are executed by the at least one processor to cause the terminal device to: receive from a second device a device discovery request from a first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; determine, based on the first address, whether the first terminal device and a second terminal device are associated with the same routing device; and, in response to the first terminal device and the second terminal device not being associated with the same routing device, send a discovery response to the second device for the device discovery request of the first terminal device.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a method for wireless connectivity is provided. The method includes: receiving at a first device a device for a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with the first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; broadcasting the device discovery request; receiving from a second device a discovery response from a second terminal device associated with the second device in response to the device discovery request, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; and forwarding the discovery response to the first terminal device based on the first address.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a method for wireless connectivity is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a second device, a device discovery request from a first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with a first terminal device; broadcasting the device discovery request; receiving, from the second terminal device associated with the second device, a discovery response to the device discovery request, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; and forwarding the discovery response to the first terminal device via the first device based on the first address.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a method for wireless connectivity is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a terminal device, a device discovery request from a second device from a first terminal device associated with a first device, the discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; determining, based on the first address, whether the first terminal device and the terminal device are associated with the same routing device; and, in response to the first terminal device and the terminal device not being associated with the same routing device, sending a discovery response to the device discovery request for the first terminal device to the second device.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for communication is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with a first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; components for broadcasting the device discovery request; components for receiving a discovery response from a second terminal device associated with the second device in response to the device discovery request, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; and components for forwarding the discovery response to the first terminal device based on the first address.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for communication is provided. The apparatus includes components for receiving a device discovery request from a first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with a first terminal device; components for broadcasting the device discovery request; components for receiving a discovery response to the device discovery request from a second terminal device associated with a second device, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; and components for forwarding the discovery response to the first terminal device via the first device based on the first address.

[0011] In a ninth aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for communication is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving from a second device a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with a first device, the discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; components for determining, based on the first address, whether the first terminal device and the communication apparatus are associated with the same routing device; and components for sending a discovery response to the second device for the device discovery request for the first terminal device in response to the first terminal device and the communication apparatus not being associated with the same routing device.

[0012] In a tenth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that can be executed by a processor to implement the methods of the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects.

[0013] It should be understood that the content described in this summary section is not intended to limit the key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to restrict the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are presented by way of example, and their advantages are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown;

[0016] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating a wireless connection process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 3 Another signaling diagram illustrating a wireless connection process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a TDLS discovery request frame format according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 5 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented on a first device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented on a second device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 7 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented on a second terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 8 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0023] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The principles and spirit of this disclosure will now be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these specific exemplary embodiments are described only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement this disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure in any way.

[0026] As used herein, the term "comprising" and similar expressions should be understood as open-ended inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "an embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0027] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determine" can include calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, searching (e.g., looking in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertainment, etc. Furthermore, "determine" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), etc. Additionally, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, choosing, building, etc.

[0028] In this document, unless explicitly stated otherwise, performing a step in response to A does not mean that the step is performed immediately after A, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0029] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as 5G signaling networks, New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and so on. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems, including but not limited to terrestrial communication systems, non-terrestrial communication systems, or combinations thereof. Given the rapid development in the field of communications, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to implement this disclosure. This should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to only the aforementioned systems.

[0030] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communications network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technologies applied, a network device can refer to 5G core network, signaling network equipment, base station (BS), or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), remote radio unit (RRU), radio head (RH), remote radio head (RRH), relay, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, low-power nodes such as femtoseconds and picoseconds, etc. In some example embodiments, the radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion and a DU portion, where the IAB-MT portion is analogous to a user equipment (UE) to the parent node, and the DU portion is analogous to a base station to the next-hop IAB node. In some example embodiments, a network device includes an optical network unit (ONU). The ONU may include visible light communication (VLC) components.

[0031] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-mounted devices (LMEs), Universal Serial Bus (USB) dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Terminal devices may correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "communication device," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0032] As used herein, the term "circuit device" refers to one or more of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation of analog and / or digital circuits only); and (b) a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware; and (ii) any part of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors, software, and memory that work together to enable devices such as optical communication devices or other computing devices to perform various functions); and (c) hardware circuits and / or processors, such as microprocessors or parts thereof, that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but may be without software when it is not required for operation.

[0033] The definition of "circuit device" applies to all uses of this term in this application (including any claim). As another example, the term "circuit device" as used herein also covers a hardware circuit or processor (or processors), or a portion thereof, or an implementation thereof, of hardware circuitry or processor, or its accompanying software or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit device" also covers similar integrated circuits in baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits or other computing devices.

[0034] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. The communication environment 100 includes multiple terminal devices (e.g., first terminal device 130 and second terminal device 140) and multiple devices (e.g., first device 110 and second device 120). The first terminal device 130 can be connected to a wireless network via the first device 110. The second terminal device 140 can be connected to the wireless network via the second device 120. Figure 1 In the example, the first device 110 and the second device 120 can be devices for providing wireless network access, such as network devices, wireless access points (APs), routing devices, base stations, etc. Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, user equipment (UE), smartphones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, smart home devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, wearable devices, etc.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first device 110 includes a first routing device, and the second device 120 includes a second routing device. The first routing device and the second routing device can communicate with each other via a wired connection and / or a wireless connection. A wireless connection between the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 can be established via the first device 110 and the second device 120.

[0036] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices, equipment, and their connections shown are merely illustrative and not limiting. Communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices and equipment configured to implement exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more other devices or equipment may be deployed in communication environment 100.

[0037] Communication in communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s). Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, cellular communication protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), and sixth generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11 (e.g., 802.11bn), and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0038] In some mechanisms, within a network environment where terminal devices are connected via routing equipment, each terminal device has a corresponding access point. The terminal devices directly connect to this access point via wireless network standards such as IEEE 802.11. However, when two terminal devices establish a wireless connection, the access point acts as an intermediary to exchange information and help establish the connection. In this mechanism, access points do not forward wireless connection information (e.g., TDLS) between terminal devices; therefore, terminal devices not associated with the same access point cannot communicate directly.

[0039] Specifically, TDLS technology, defined by the IEEE 802.11 standard, is one of the Wi-Fi point-to-point technologies. According to IEEE 802.11-2020, TDLS is characterized by encapsulating setup frames within data frames, allowing them to be transparently transmitted through the access point. Therefore, the access point does not need to have direct connection capabilities, nor does it need to support direct connections between two terminals. However, in some mechanisms, the two terminals using TDLS communication should be associated with the same Basic Service Set (BSS). This means that TDLS communication across different BSSs is not possible.

[0040] On the one hand, when two terminal devices (such as a mobile phone and a smart TV) are associated with the same BSS, the process of establishing a TDLS connection between the two terminal devices is as follows. In the example process, the mobile phone is the TDLS connection initiating device and is therefore referred to as the TDLS initiating terminal, while the smart TV is referred to as the TDLS responding terminal.

[0041] In this process, firstly, the mobile phone sends a TDLS discovery request. Upon receiving the TDLS discovery request, the access point forwards the TDLS discovery request data frame to the smart TV. Then, the smart TV bypasses the access point and directly sends a TDLS discovery response to the mobile phone. At this stage, the smart TV appears in the mobile phone's list of available screens. The user receives a notification on the mobile phone that the search process is complete and can choose to project the screen onto the smart TV.

[0042] Then, the mobile phone sends a TDLS connection request. Upon receiving the TDLS connection request, the access point forwards it to the smart TV. Similarly, the smart TV sends a corresponding TDLS connection response, which the access point then forwards to the mobile phone. Finally, the mobile phone sends a TDLS confirmation message. Upon receiving the TDLS confirmation message, the access point forwards the TDLS confirmation frame to the smart TV. In the above steps, the TDLS connection request, TDLS connection response, and TDLS confirmation message are all processed into data frames and forwarded by the access point.

[0043] During the establishment of a TDLS connection, after exchanging necessary management frames, the two devices establish a TDLS connection and begin transmitting data directly through that connection. Furthermore, the mobile phone and smart TV can negotiate an encryption key to ensure the security of data communication. In home and enterprise environments, TDLS technology significantly improves the communication efficiency between different devices on the network, such as for streaming media (video and audio), data migration, and data backup.

[0044] On the other hand, when two terminal devices (such as a mobile phone and a smart TV) are associated with different BSSs, the TDLS connection between the two different BSSs has not yet been defined. That is, the existing standard does not allow one access point 1 to forward TDLS management frames (such as TDLS discovery requests) to another access point 2, so a TDLS connection cannot be established between the mobile phone and the smart TV.

[0045] However, whether in homes, offices, or urban public areas, environments with multiple access points over short distances are becoming a typical application scenario. Based on this evolution, there is a need to support effective coordination between multiple access points.

[0046] With the deployment of access points such as those supporting the 802.11bn protocol, it is foreseeable that in certain scenarios within a multi-access-point environment, terminal devices located at different access points (i.e., different BSSs) will need to connect directly. For example, a laptop might be associated with access point 1 in the living room, while a smart TV is associated with access point 2 in another bedroom. The laptop would like to connect directly to the smart TV via TDLS, thus providing efficient, low-latency service without relying on access points.

[0047] To address the aforementioned technical problems, such as terminal connectivity in multi-access point environments, and other potential technical issues, embodiments of this disclosure propose a solution for wireless connectivity. According to this solution, a first device 110 receives a device discovery request from a first terminal device 130 associated with the first device 110. The device discovery request includes a first address associated with the first terminal device 130. The first device 110 broadcasts the device discovery request. A second device 120 receives the device discovery request from the first device 110 and also broadcasts the device discovery request. A second terminal device 140 receives the device discovery request from the second device 120. Based on the first address, the second terminal device 140 determines whether the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 are associated with the same routing device. If the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 are not associated with the same routing device, the second terminal device 140 sends a discovery response to the device discovery request from the first terminal device 130 to the second device 120. The discovery response includes the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device 140. The second device 120 receives the discovery response from the second terminal device 140 associated with the second device 120, and forwards the discovery response to the first device 110 based on the first address. The first device 110 receives the discovery response from the second device 120, and forwards the discovery response to the first terminal device 130 based on the first address.

[0048] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a first terminal device 130 associated with the first device 110 and a second terminal device 140 associated with the second device 120 can establish a direct wireless connection through interaction between two access points, namely the first device 110 and the second device 120. In a multi-access-point environment, multiple terminal devices associated with different access points can thus achieve cross-access-point communication.

[0049] Figure 2 Signaling diagram 200 illustrates a wireless connection process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Signaling diagram 200 relates to... Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120, the first terminal device 130, and the second terminal device 140 are included.

[0050] like Figure 2In some embodiments, a first terminal device 130 associated with the first device 110 needs to establish a direct wireless connection with the target terminal device, such as a point-to-point wireless connection. The first terminal device 130 broadcasts (210) a device discovery request, such as a TDLS discovery request. The TDLS discovery request may be in the form of a TDLS management frame. The target terminal device may be associated with a second device 120 different from the first device 110. In this scenario, the first terminal device 130 may broadcast a device discovery request to discover the target terminal device, so that the first device 110 associated with the first terminal device 130 receives the device discovery request. The device discovery request includes a first address associated with the first terminal device 130.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first address includes the source address of the first terminal device 130 and the broadcast address of the first basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first device 110. The source address can be the media access control (MAC) address of the first terminal device 130, and the broadcast address can be the destination address. The first terminal device 130 is associated with a first BSS corresponding to the first BSSID. In other words, the first terminal device 130 is associated with the first BSS provided by the first device 110 identified by the first BSSID.

[0052] Through this first address, the device or equipment receiving the device discovery request (e.g., the second device 120) can learn and store the address of the terminal device that issued the device discovery request, i.e., the MAC address of the first terminal device 130, and the access point information associated with the terminal device, i.e., the BSSID. Furthermore, the second device 120 can also store the association between the first terminal device 130 and the first BSSID based on the received device discovery request. Therefore, when the second device 120 subsequently needs to send requests, responses, or information related to the first terminal device 130, it can directly transmit the request to the first terminal device 130 based on the first address or transmit the request, response, or information to the first terminal device 130 via the first device 110.

[0053] If the target terminal device corresponding to the device discovery request is also associated with the first device 110, the first device 110 may forward the device discovery request to the target terminal device. If the target terminal device corresponding to the device discovery request is not associated with the first device 110, the first device 110 shall broadcast the device discovery request (220) after receiving the device discovery request from the first terminal device 130.

[0054] After receiving the device discovery request from the first device 110, other access points in the communication environment 100, namely the second device 120, also broadcast (230) the device discovery request. The second terminal device 140 associated with the second device 120 receives the device discovery request sent by the second device 120. If the second terminal device 140 is the target terminal device for the device discovery request, the second terminal device 140 can respond to the device discovery request.

[0055] The second terminal device 140 can determine (240) whether the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 are associated with the same routing device (i.e., access point) based on the first address. In this embodiment, the first terminal device 130 is associated with the first device 110 (also called the first routing device), and the second terminal device 140 is associated with the second device 120 (also called the second routing device). If the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 are not associated with the same routing device, the second terminal device 140 sends a discovery response to the device discovery request for the first terminal device 130 to the second device 120. The discovery response includes the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device 140. Similar to the first address, the second address may include the MAC address of the second terminal device 140 and the second BSSID of the second device 120.

[0056] The second device 120 receives (250) the discovery response sent by the second terminal device 140 and forwards the discovery response to the first device 110. Message transmission or reception between the first device 110 and the second device 120 can be performed using wired or wireless transmission methods. The embodiments of this disclosure are not limited in this respect.

[0057] Accordingly, the first device 110 receives (260) a discovery response from the second device 120 to the device discovery request from the second device 120, which is associated with the second terminal device 140. The discovery response includes a first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device 140. In response to receiving the discovery response, the first device 110 may store the MAC address of the second terminal device 140, the BSSID of the second device 120, and the association between the second terminal device 140 and the second BSSID. The first device 110 may forward (270) the discovery response to the first terminal device 130 based on the first address. In the following description, the first terminal device 130 is also referred to as the initiating terminal or initiator. The target terminal device, namely the second terminal device 140, is also referred to as the responding terminal or responder.

[0058] In some embodiments, to support TDLS connections between different BSSs (i.e., different access points, such as the first device 110 and the second device 120), a new function needs to be added to the 802.11bn-enabled access point to enable it to forward TDLS management frames to another access point. As an example, during the TDLS connection establishment period, when the initiating terminal sends TDLS management frame information (e.g., a broadcast TDLS discovery request, a unicast TDLS establishment request, or a unicast TDLS acknowledgment message), the access point associated with the initiating terminal (i.e., the first device 110) will have the new function of forwarding such management frame information to the next coordinating access point (e.g., the second device 120). The next access point (i.e., the second device 120) will then send management frame information to the responding terminal accordingly. When the next access point (i.e., the second device 120) receives relevant response information from the responding terminal, the second device 120 can also forward the response information to the original coordinating access point (i.e., the first device 110), which is then finally sent to the initiating terminal by the first device 110.

[0059] In the above process, new support has been added, transmitting the TDLS discovery response frame to the original initiating terminal via multiple access points. Therefore, these coordinating access points will record information about the TDLS-capable terminal devices (such as MAC addresses and BSSIDs) during forwarding. Thus, these access points can support the next TDLS unicast management frame (e.g., TDLS connection request or TDLS acknowledgment information) between two TDLS-capable terminal devices.

[0060] In some embodiments, in response to receiving a device discovery response, the first terminal device 130 can send a connection request, such as a TDSL connection request, to the second terminal device 140 via the first device 110 and the second device 120. Specifically, the first device 110 can forward the wireless connection request, such as the TDLS request, received from the first terminal device 130 to the second device 120. The second device 120 can forward the wireless connection request to the second terminal device 140 based on a second address included in the received wireless connection request. In this way, the establishment of a direct wireless connection (e.g., a TDLS connection) between the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 is triggered. Figure 3 The detailed process of establishing a wireless connection between the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 is described.

[0061] In this embodiment, the second terminal device 140 can receive requests and information from terminal devices associated with different access points and respond to the requests based on the information. Thus, the second terminal device 140 can achieve direct wireless connection with terminal devices associated with different access points.

[0062] Figure 3Another signaling diagram 300 illustrates a wireless connection process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Signaling diagram 300 relates to... Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120, the first terminal device 130, and the second terminal device 140 are included.

[0063] like Figure 3 As shown, the first terminal device 130 broadcasts a device discovery request (305), such as a TDLS discovery request. For example, if a user initiates screen mirroring via a mobile phone, the first terminal device 130 can be a mobile phone. The device discovery request can be a TDLS discovery request for the projection device.

[0064] In some mechanisms, such as those according to the traditional 802.11 specification, when an initiating terminal wants to discover terminal devices within the same BSS, it can send a TDLS discovery request frame to a single address via the access point. In some embodiments, for point-to-point wireless connections between terminals in multi-access-point scenarios, since the initiating terminal is unaware that the responding terminal has TDLS capability, it can discover terminal devices in different BSSs by supporting broadcast addresses in the TDLS discovery request. In this way, the initiating terminal can support TDLS connections across different BSSs by supporting broadcast addresses in the TDLS discovery request.

[0065] In some embodiments, the first device 110 receives a device discovery request from a first terminal device 130 associated with the first device 110. The device discovery request may include a TDLS management frame. The first device 110 may first examine and identify the type of the TDLS management frame to determine the specific content of the frame. For example, the type of the frame may be a TDLS discovery request. The device discovery request includes a first address associated with the first terminal device 130.

[0066] In some embodiments, the first address includes the source address and broadcast address of the first terminal device 130, and the first Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) of the first device 110. The source address can be the MAC address of the first terminal device 130, and the broadcast address can be the destination address. The first terminal device 130 is associated with a first BSS corresponding to the first BSSID. In other words, the first terminal device 130 is associated with the first BSS provided by the first device 110 identified by the first BSSID.

[0067] Through this first address, the device or equipment receiving the device discovery request (e.g., the second device 120) can learn and store the address of the terminal device that issued the device discovery request, i.e., the MAC address of the first terminal device 130, and the information of the access point associated with the terminal device (i.e., the first device 110), i.e., the first BSSID. Furthermore, the second device 120 can also store the association between the first terminal device 130 and the first BSSID based on the received device discovery request. Therefore, when the second device 120 subsequently needs to send requests, responses, or information related to the first terminal device 130, it can directly transmit the request to the first terminal device 130 according to the first address or transmit the request, response, or information to the first terminal device 130 via the first device 110.

[0068] In some embodiments, the first device 110 broadcasts (310) the received device discovery request. For example, if a TDLS management frame is identified as a TDLS discovery request, the first device 110 may forward the TDLS management frame to a terminal device associated with the first device 110. If the first device 110 has already established a data communication coordination framework with the second device 120, the first device 110 may also forward the TDLS management frame to the coordination access point of another BSS (i.e., the second device 120). After receiving the device discovery request sent by the first device 110, the second device 120 may also broadcast (315) the device discovery request. In this way, at least one target terminal device matching the device discovery request can be searched from terminal devices associated with different BSSs.

[0069] In some embodiments, in response to receiving a device discovery request from the first device 110, the second device 120 stores the association between the first address and the first device 110 (or the first BSSID) and the first terminal device 130. The second device 120 may store associations between multiple terminal devices and multiple devices (or multiple BSSIDs). By storing these associations, the second device 120 can also quickly respond based on the stored associations when it subsequently receives requests, responses, or information related to a terminal device (first terminal device 130) that is not associated with it.

[0070] Accordingly, the second terminal device 140 receives a device discovery request sent by the second device 120. If the second terminal device 140 is a target terminal device for the device discovery request, then the second terminal device 140 can respond to the device discovery request. In the example where the device discovery request is a TDLS discovery request for a projection device, the second terminal device 140 could be a smart TV. In the following description, the second terminal device 140 is also referred to as a responding terminal or responder. It should be understood that although only a single second terminal device 140 is shown in some embodiments, in some embodiments, one or more second terminal devices 140 may respond to the device discovery request. That is, there may be one or more target terminal devices. These target terminal devices may be associated with the second device 120 or with additional devices or routing devices that can communicate with the first device 110. The scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0071] In some embodiments, if the two BSSIDs associated with the two terminal devices are the same (i.e., the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 are associated with the same routing device), the second terminal device 140 can send a discovery response to the initiating terminal via a direct path. If the two BSSIDs are different (i.e., the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 are associated with different routing devices), the second terminal device 140 will send a discovery response to the second device 120. The receiving address in the discovery response is the address of the second device 120 (e.g., MAC address), and the destination address is the address of the first terminal device 130 (e.g., MAC address), meaning the discovery response is sent from the second device 120 to the first terminal device 130.

[0072] The second terminal device 140 sends (320) a discovery response to the device discovery request of the first terminal device 130 to the second device 120. The discovery response includes a first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device 140. The second device 120 can then forward the discovery response to the first device 110 with which it coordinates. The receiving address of the forwarded discovery response is the address of the first device 110, and the destination address is the address of the first terminal device 130.

[0073] In some embodiments, the second address includes the MAC address of the second terminal device 140 and the second BSSID of the second device 120. The second terminal device 140 is associated with a second BSS corresponding to the second BSSID. In other words, the second terminal device 140 is associated with a second BSS provided by the second device 120 identified by the second BSSID.

[0074] Through the second address, the device or equipment receiving the discovery response (e.g., the first device 110) can learn and store the address of the terminal device that issued the discovery response, i.e., the MAC address of the second terminal device 140, and the access point information associated with the terminal device, i.e., the second BSSID. Furthermore, the first device 110 can also store the association between the second terminal device 140 and the second BSSID based on the received discovery response. Therefore, when the first device 110 subsequently needs to send requests, responses, or information related to the second terminal device 140, it can directly transmit the information to the second terminal device 140 based on the second address or transmit the request, response, or information to the second terminal device 140 via the second device 120.

[0075] In some embodiments, a second terminal device 140 supporting TDLS checks the BSSID in the discovery request. The first address in the discovery request includes a first BSSID. A comparison between the first BSSID and a second BSSID associated with the second terminal device 140 determines whether the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 are associated with the same routing device (access point). Specifically, the TDLS discovery request includes a category field, a TDLS action field, a session tag, a link identifier, a multi-band field, etc. Examples of the various fields in the TDLS discovery request are shown in Table 1. It should be understood that the fields in Table 1 are merely exemplary and not restrictive. The TDLS discovery request can take other suitable formats.

[0076] Table 1

[0077]

[0078] Figure 4 A specific example of a "link identifier" in a TDLS discovery request is shown. As illustrated, the link identifier includes a BSSID (e.g., the BSSID associated with the terminal device that issued the message, i.e., the BSSID of the initiating terminal), a TDLS identifier terminal address (i.e., the address of the initiating terminal), a TDLS responding terminal address (i.e., the address of the responding terminal), etc. The link identifier can indicate the BSSID of the BSS to which the initiating terminal device (STA) of the TDLS wireless connection belongs, i.e., the BSSID used to indicate the first device 110 associated with the first terminal device 130 in this embodiment. Similarly, the second BSSID associated with the second terminal device 140 is the BSSID of the second device 120. The second terminal device 140 determines that the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 are not associated with the same routing device (access point) because the first BSSID and the second BSSID are different.

[0079] The second device 120 receives the discovery response sent by the second terminal device 140 and forwards the discovery response to the first device 110. Message transmission or reception between the first device 110 and the second device 120 can be achieved via wired or wireless transmission, etc. The embodiments of this disclosure do not limit this aspect.

[0080] In some embodiments, the second device 120 determines whether the first terminal device 130 is associated with the second device 120 based on the first address. If the first terminal device 130 is associated with the second device 120, the second device 120 can directly send a discovery response to the first terminal device 130. Alternatively, if it is determined that the first terminal device 130 is associated with the first device 110 but not with the second device 120, the second device 120 can forward (325) the discovery response to the first terminal device 130 through the first device 110 based on the first address.

[0081] The first device 110 receives the discovery response from the second device 120. Then the first device 110 forwards (330) the discovery response to the first terminal device 130 based on the first address.

[0082] In some embodiments, in response to receiving a discovery response from the second device 120, the first device 110 stores the second address and the association between the second device 120 and the second terminal device 140 in association. Subsequently, when the first device 110 receives a request, response, or information that is not associated with its terminal device (second terminal device 140), it can also respond quickly based on the stored association.

[0083] After receiving the discovery response, the first terminal device 130 can learn about the target terminal device, namely the second terminal device 140, to which a wireless connection needs to be established. Based on this, the first terminal device 130 sends a connection request to the second terminal device 140 via the first device 110 to establish a TDLS connection. The connection request includes the receiving address of the first device 110 and the destination address of the second terminal device 140. As an example, a smart TV (second terminal device 140) appears in the available screen list of the mobile phone (first terminal device 130). The user can receive a notification that the search process is complete and can choose to project the mobile phone screen onto the smart TV. In response to the user's instruction to project the mobile phone screen onto the smart TV, the mobile phone can send a TDLS connection establishment request to the smart TV.

[0084] The first device 110 receives (335) a connection request, such as a TDLS connection establishment request, from the first terminal device 130. The first device 110 then forwards the connection request to the second device 120 associated with the second terminal device 140.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first device 110 confirms, based on the destination address (i.e., the address of the second terminal device 140), that the target terminal device in the connection request is not its associated terminal device. Based on stored records (i.e., records of associations between terminal devices and devices or BSSIS), the first device 110 can determine the address of the second device 120 and the second BSSID mapped to the second terminal device 140. Accordingly, the first device 110 can forward the connection request to the second device 120 with which it coordinates, wherein the receiving address is the address of the second device 120 and the destination address is the address of the second terminal device 140.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first device 110 forwards connection requests directly to the second terminal device 140 via the second device 120 based on a pre-stored second address and association, thereby achieving fast response and saving transmission resources.

[0087] The second device 120 receives (340) a connection request from the first device 110 and forwards a connection response to the second terminal device 140. The second terminal device 140 receives (345) a connection request from the second device 120 and sends a connection response to the connection request, such as a TDLS establishment response. The second device 120 receives (350) a connection response from the second terminal device 140 and forwards the connection response to the first device 110.

[0088] In some embodiments, the second device 120 forwards the connection response directly to the first terminal device 130 via the first device 110 based on the pre-stored first address and association relationship, thereby achieving fast response and saving transmission resources.

[0089] First device 110 receives (355) a connection response from second device 120 and forwards (360) the connection response to first terminal device 130. After receiving the connection response from second terminal device 140, first terminal device 130 determines that it wants to establish a wireless connection with second terminal device 140. First terminal device 130 sends an acknowledgment message, such as a TDLS establishment acknowledgment message, to second terminal device 140 through first device 110 and second device 120 regarding the connection response.

[0090] The first device 110 receives (365) an acknowledgment message for the connection response from the first terminal device 130 and forwards the acknowledgment message to the second device 120. The second device 120 receives (370) the acknowledgment message from the first device 110 and forwards (375) the acknowledgment message to the second terminal device 140.

[0091] The second terminal device 140 establishes (380) a direct wireless connection with the first terminal device 130 based on the confirmation message. After exchanging the necessary management frames, the first terminal device 130 and the second terminal device 140 establish a TDLS connection and begin directly transmitting data through this connection. As an example, after the mobile phone and smart TV complete data transmission, the screen content of the mobile phone can be directly displayed on the smart TV.

[0092] In some embodiments, either the first terminal device 130 or the second terminal device 140 may terminate the aforementioned TDLS connection. As an example, a mobile phone / smart TV may disconnect its TDLS connection with the smart TV / mobile phone by sending a TDLS split frame.

[0093] In some embodiments, at least one of the connection request, connection response, and confirmation message includes security information for the TDLS connection. The security information is based at least on at least a portion of a first address of the first terminal device 130, such as a first BSSID of the first terminal device 130 stored in the first address. In other words, the terminal device can perform security authentication of the TDLS connection based on the security information and the first BSSID of the first terminal device 130.

[0094] To enable secure communication on a TDLS direct link, the TDLS initiating STA (first terminal device 130) and the TDLS peer STA (second terminal device 140) need to establish a Robust Security Network Association (RSNA) connection with their associated access points. In this embodiment, the two STA devices are associated with different access points, and a trust relationship coordination framework for data communication is established between the two different access points (i.e., the first device 110 and the second device 120). Specifically, the key calculation used for secure communication can be performed using the following formula:

[0095] Output=Hash(min(SNonce,ANonce)||max(SNonce,ANonce)),

[0096] MACS=min(MACI,MACR)||max(MACI,MACR)||BSSID,

[0097] TPK=KDF(Input,"T DLSPMK",MACS),

[0098] Wherein, ANonce is a random number generated by the first terminal device 130, SNonce is a random number generated by the second terminal device 140, min(,) represents taking the smaller value among the variables, max(,) represents taking the larger value among the variables, Hash represents generating a hash value, MCI is the MAC address of the first terminal device 130, MCR is the MAC address of the second terminal device 140, BSSID is the Basic Service Set Identifier, that is, the MAC address associated with the first device 110, and TPK is the temporary key.

[0099] The TPK calculated above can be used to achieve secure authentication between terminal devices across access points. According to protocols such as 802.11, the TPK handshake consists of three messages. Each message comprises several elements contained in the TDLS establishment request (i.e., connection request), the TDLS establishment response (i.e., connection response), and the TDLS establishment confirmation (i.e., confirmation message). Therefore, the above TDLS connection procedure already includes the TPK handshake to ensure a secure link between the two STAs.

[0100] In some embodiments, a portion of the first address of the first terminal device 130 may be different from all portions of the second address of the second terminal device 140. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a portion of the first address may be the same as a corresponding portion of the second address. As an example, there may be multiple terminal devices in environment 100. The addresses of each terminal device have specific fields, such as high-order MAC addresses. The high-order MAC addresses may be the highest N bits of the MAC address, where N is a predetermined positive integer. If the specific field is the same, it may indicate that the terminal devices belong to the same group. If the specific field is different, it may indicate that the terminal devices do not belong to the same group. For example, terminal devices belonging to different rooms in the same residence have the same specific field. Terminal devices belonging to different residences have different specific fields. In embodiments where terminal devices in each group have the same specific field, the field of the first address may be defined as being the same as the field of the second address.

[0101] In response to receiving a device discovery request from the first terminal device 130, the second terminal device 140 can determine whether a specific field of the first address of the first terminal device 130 is the same as a specific field of the second address of the second terminal device 140. If they are the same, the second terminal device 140 sends a discovery response to the first terminal device 130 to establish a wireless connection. Otherwise, the second terminal device 140 does not send a discovery response to the first terminal device 130 and does not establish a wireless connection. In this way, the second terminal device 140 that establishes point-to-point direct communication with the first terminal device 130 is a terminal device belonging to the same group as the first terminal device 130. More specifically, it is possible to restrict terminal devices in a household to only establish point-to-point direct wireless connections with other terminal devices within that household, thereby preventing intrusion by terminal devices outside the household. In this way, it is possible to restrict terminal devices that connect across access points, preventing them from connecting to terminal devices in other groups.

[0102] Combination Figures 2 to 4 Several examples of establishing wireless connections, such as TDLS connections, between terminal devices associated with different BSSs via a first device 110 and a second device 120 are described. It should be understood that direct wireless connections can be established between different terminal devices via two or more devices or routing devices. The wireless connection can be a TDLS connection or any other suitable wireless connection or peer-to-peer (P2P) WiFi connection. The embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting.

[0103] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented on a first device 110 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Process 500 can be implemented at the first device 110. Reference is made below. Figure 1 To describe process 500.

[0104] like Figure 5 As shown, at block 510, the first device 110 receives a device discovery request from a first terminal device 130 associated with the first device 110, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device 130.

[0105] At frame 520, the first device 110 broadcasts a device discovery request.

[0106] At box 530, the first device 110 receives from the second device 120 a discovery response to a device discovery request from a second terminal device 140 associated with the second device 120. The discovery response includes a first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device 140.

[0107] At box 540, the first device 110 forwards a discovery response to the first terminal device 130 based on the first address.

[0108] In this embodiment, the first device 110 can send a wireless connection request in a broadcast manner through the above method to realize information interaction with other wireless access points (such as the second device 120), so that the first device 110 can communicate with terminal devices (such as the second terminal device 140) that are not associated with the first device 110, and the terminal device (first terminal device 130) associated with the first device 110 can wirelessly connect with the terminal device (second terminal device 140) that is not associated with the first device 110 through the first device 110.

[0109] In some embodiments, the first address includes: the MAC address of the first terminal device 130, the first basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first device 110, and the first terminal device 130 associated with the first BSSID.

[0110] In some embodiments, the second address includes: the MAC address of the second terminal device 140, the second basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the second device 120, and the second terminal device 140 associated with the second BSSID.

[0111] In some embodiments, process 500 further includes: receiving a connection request from a first terminal device 130 to establish a Channel Direct Link Establishment (TDLS) connection with a second terminal device 140; and forwarding the connection request to a second device 120 associated with the second terminal device 140.

[0112] In some embodiments, process 500 further includes: receiving a connection response from the second terminal device 140 in response to the connection request from the second device 120; forwarding the connection response to the first terminal device 130; receiving an acknowledgment message from the first terminal device 130 in response to the connection response; and forwarding the acknowledgment message to the second device 120.

[0113] In some embodiments, process 500 further includes: in response to receiving a discovery response from the second device 120, storing the second address and the association between the second device 120 and the second terminal device 140 in association; and forwarding a connection request to the second device 120 based on the second address and the association.

[0114] In some embodiments, at least one of the connection request, connection response, and confirmation message includes security information for the TDLS connection, the security information being based on at least a portion of a first address of the first terminal device 130.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first device 110 includes a first routing device, and the second device 120 includes a second routing device. The first routing device and the second routing device communicate via at least one of the following: a wired connection and a wireless connection.

[0116] In some embodiments, a portion of the first address of the first terminal device 130 may be the same as or different from a portion of the second address of the second terminal device 140.

[0117] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented on a second device 120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Process 600 can be implemented at the second device 120. Reference is made below. Figure 1 To describe process 600.

[0118] like Figure 6 As shown, at box 610, the second device 120 receives a device discovery request from the first device 110, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device 130.

[0119] At frame 620, the second device 120 broadcasts a device discovery request.

[0120] At box 630, the second device 120 receives a discovery response to a device discovery request from a second terminal device 140 associated with the second device 120. The discovery response includes a first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device 140.

[0121] At box 640, the second device 120 forwards a discovery response to the first terminal device 130 via the first device 110 based on the first address.

[0122] In this embodiment, the second device 120 can receive wireless connection requests sent via broadcast using the above method and save their related address information to achieve information interaction with other wireless access points (such as the first device 110). Thus, the second device 120 can communicate with terminal devices (such as the first terminal device 130) that are not associated with the second device 120. The terminal device (first terminal device 130) that is not associated with the second device 120 can wirelessly connect with the terminal device (second terminal device 140) associated with the second device 120 through the second device 120.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first address includes: a first basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first device 110, a first terminal device 130 associated with the BSSID, and a MAC address of the first terminal device 130.

[0124] In some embodiments, the second address includes: a second basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the second device 120, a second terminal device 140 associated with the second BSSID, and a MAC address of the second terminal device 140.

[0125] In some embodiments, process 600 further includes: determining whether the first terminal device 130 is associated with the second device 120 based on the first address; and forwarding a discovery response to the first terminal device 130 through the first device 110 based on the first address, since the first terminal device 130 is associated with the first device 110 but not with the second device 120.

[0126] In some embodiments, process 600 further includes: receiving a connection request from a first terminal device 130 to establish a Channel Direct Link Establishment (TDLS) with a second terminal device 140 via a first device 110; and forwarding the connection request to the second terminal device 140.

[0127] In some embodiments, process 600 further includes: receiving a connection response to the connection request from the second terminal device 140; forwarding the connection response to the first terminal device 130 via the first device 110; receiving an acknowledgment message for the connection response from the first terminal device 130 via the first device 110; and forwarding the acknowledgment message to the second device 120.

[0128] In some embodiments, process 600 further includes: in response to receiving a device discovery request from the first device 110, storing a first address and an association between the first device 110 and the first terminal device 130 in association; and forwarding at least one of a discovery response and a connection response to the first terminal device 130 through the first device 110 based on the first address and the association.

[0129] In some embodiments, at least one of the connection request, connection response, and confirmation message includes security information for the TDLS connection, the security information being based on at least a portion of a first address of the first terminal device 130.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first device 110 includes a first routing device, and the second device 120 includes a second routing device. The first routing device and the second routing device communicate via at least one of the following: a wired connection and a wireless connection.

[0131] In some embodiments, the second device 120, wherein a portion of the first address of the first terminal device 130 is the same as or different from a portion of the second address of the second terminal device 140.

[0132] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method implemented on a second terminal device 140 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Process 700 can be implemented at the second terminal device 140. Reference is made below. Figure 1 To describe process 700.

[0133] At box 710, the second terminal device 140 receives from the second device 120 a device discovery request from the first terminal device 130 associated with the first device 110, the discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device 130.

[0134] At box 720, the second terminal device 140 determines, based on the first address, whether the first terminal device 130 and the terminal device are associated with the same routing device.

[0135] At box 730, the second terminal device 140, in response to the fact that the first terminal device 130 and the terminal device are not associated with the same routing device, sends a discovery response to the device discovery request for the first terminal device 130 to the second device 120.

[0136] In this embodiment, the second terminal device 140 can receive requests and information from terminal devices associated with different access points using the method described above, and respond to the requests based on the information. Thus, the second terminal device 140 can achieve direct wireless connection with terminal devices associated with different access points.

[0137] In some embodiments, the first address includes a first BSSID, and the comparison between the first BSSID and a second BSSID associated with the terminal device determines whether the first terminal device 130 is associated with the same routing device as the terminal device.

[0138] In some embodiments, process 700 further includes: receiving from the second device 120 a connection request from the first terminal device 130 to establish a Channel Direct Link Establishment (TDLS) connection with the terminal device; sending a connection response to the connection request; and receiving from the second device 120 an acknowledgment message for the connection response.

[0139] In some embodiments, at least one of the connection request, connection response, and confirmation message includes security information of the TDLS connection, and process 700 further includes: performing security authentication of the TDLS connection based on the security information and the first BSSID of the first terminal device 130.

[0140] In some example embodiments, a communication apparatus may include components for performing corresponding steps of process 500, process 600, or process 700. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, the components may be implemented as circuit devices or software modules.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the means for communication includes: components for receiving a device discovery request from a first terminal device 130 associated with a first device 110, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device 130; components for broadcasting the device discovery request; components for receiving a discovery response from a second terminal device 140 associated with the second device 120 in response to the device discovery request, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device 140; and components for forwarding the discovery response to the first terminal device 130 based on the first address.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the means for communication includes: components for receiving a device discovery request from a first means 110, the device discovery request including a first address associated with a first terminal device 130; components for broadcasting the device discovery request; components for receiving a discovery response to the device discovery request from a second terminal device 140 associated with a second means 120, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device 140; and components for forwarding the discovery response to the first terminal device 130 via the first means 110 based on the first address.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the means for communication includes: components for receiving from the second means 120 a device discovery request from a first terminal device 130 associated with the first means 110, the discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device 130; components for determining, based on the first address, whether the first terminal device 130 and the means for communication (such as the second terminal device 140) are associated with the same routing device; and components for sending a discovery response to the second means 120 for the device discovery request of the first terminal device 130 in response to the first terminal device 130 and the means for communication not being associated with the same routing device.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the communication apparatus may further include components for performing other steps in some example embodiments of process 500, process 600, or process 700. In some example embodiments, the components may include at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory being coupled to at least one processor and containing instructions stored therein, the at least one memory and the instructions being further configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the execution of the apparatus.

[0145] The above combination Figures 1 to 7 Several examples of the first device 110 and other devices are described. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may be combined with other devices to form a communication system. The communication system may also include any other suitable components or devices.

[0146] Figure 8 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. (See diagram below.) Figure 8 As shown, device 800 includes one or more processing units 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processing units 810, and a communication module 840 coupled to the processing units 810.

[0147] Communication module 840 is used for bidirectional communication. In some example embodiments, communication module 840 may have at least one antenna to facilitate communication. In some example embodiments, communication module 840 may have one or more communication interfaces. A communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0148] Processing unit 810 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include, but is not limited to, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microcontroller, a digital signal controller (DSP), and a controller-based multi-core controller architecture. Device 800 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0149] Memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0150] Computer program 830 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by associated processing unit 810. Computer program 830 may be stored in ROM 824. Processing unit 810 may perform any appropriate actions and processes by loading computer program 830 into RAM 822.

[0151] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of computer program 830, enabling device 800 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 8 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the computer program 830 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may include in device 800 (such as in memory 820) or other storage devices accessible by device 800. The computer program 830 may be loaded from the computer-readable medium into RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 9 An example of a computer-readable medium 900 in the form of a CD or DVD according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. A computer program 830 is stored on the computer-readable medium 900.

[0153] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software, which can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or represented using some other illustration, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented as, as in the non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0154] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable storage medium. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be non-transitory. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in program modules, which execute in a device on a real or virtual processor of a target to perform the above-referenced... Figures 5 to 7 The process described is 500 to 700. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or divided among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can be executed locally or on a distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0155] Computer program code used to implement the methods of this disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages, such as C or other suitable programming languages. As an example, this computer program code may be executed on a suitable operating system such as Linux. This computer program code may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing device, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a computer, partially on a computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server.

[0156] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried on any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and so on. Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, sound, or other forms of propagation signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, etc.

[0157] A computer-readable medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program for or relating to an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A computer-readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of computer-readable storage media include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0158] Furthermore, although the operation of the methods of this disclosure is described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in that specific order, or that all of the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Rather, the steps depicted in the flowcharts may be performed in a different order. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be broken down into multiple steps. It should also be noted that the features and functions of two or more devices according to this disclosure may be embodied in one device. Conversely, the features and functions of one device described above may be further divided and embodied by multiple devices.

[0159] While this disclosure has been described with reference to several specific embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed. This disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A first device for wireless connection, comprising: At least one processor, and At least one memory stores instructions that are executed by the at least one processor to cause the first device to: Receive a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with the first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; The device discovery request is sent via broadcast. Receives from the second device a discovery response to the device discovery request from a second terminal device associated with the second device, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; as well as Based on the first address, the discovery response is forwarded to the first terminal device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first address includes: The media access control MAC address of the first terminal device. The first device has a first Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), and the first terminal device is associated with the first BSSID.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the second address includes: The MAC address of the second terminal device, The second device has a second Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), and the second terminal device is associated with the second BSSID.

4. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the first apparatus further causes: Receive a connection request from the first terminal device to establish a TDLS connection with the second terminal device via a direct link; and The connection request is forwarded to the second device associated with the second terminal device.

5. The first apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the first apparatus further causes: Receive the connection response from the second terminal device in response to the connection request from the second device; Forward the connection response to the first terminal device; Receive an acknowledgment message from the first terminal device in response to the connection. as well as The confirmation message is forwarded to the second device.

6. The first apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the first apparatus further causes: In response to receiving the discovery response from the second device, the second address and the association between the second device and the second terminal device are stored in association; and Based on the second address and the association, the connection request is forwarded to the second device.

7. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein at least one of the connection request, the connection response, and the confirmation message includes security information of the TDLS connection, the security information being based at least on at least a portion of the first address of the first terminal device.

8. The first device according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the first device includes a first routing device, the second device includes a second routing device, and the first routing device and the second routing device communicate via at least one of the following: a wired connection and a wireless connection.

9. The first device according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein a portion of the first address of the first terminal device is the same as or different from a portion of the second address of the second terminal device.

10. A second device for wireless connection, comprising: At least one processor, and At least one memory stores instructions that are executed by the at least one processor to cause the second device to: Receive a device discovery request from a first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with a first terminal device; The device discovery request is sent via broadcast. A discovery response for the device discovery request is received from a second terminal device associated with the second device, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; as well as Based on the first address, the discovery response is forwarded to the first terminal device via the first device.

11. The second device according to claim 10, wherein the first address includes: The first basic service set identifier (BSSID) of the first device, to which the first terminal device is associated, is... The MAC address of the first terminal device.

12. The second device according to claim 10, wherein the second address includes: The second device has a second Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID), and the second terminal device is associated with the second BSSID. The MAC address of the second terminal device.

13. The second apparatus of claim 10, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second apparatus further causes: Based on the first address, determine whether the first terminal device is associated with the second device; and Based on the determination that the first terminal device is associated with the first device but not with the second device, the discovery response is forwarded to the first terminal device through the first device based on the first address.

14. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 10-13, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second apparatus further causes: Through the first device, a connection request to establish a TDLS direct link between the first terminal device and the second terminal device is received; and The connection request is forwarded to the second terminal device.

15. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 10-13, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second apparatus further causes: Receive the connection response in response to the connection request from the second terminal device; The connection response is forwarded to the first terminal device through the first device; The first device receives an acknowledgment message for the connection response from the first terminal device; as well as The confirmation message is forwarded to the second device.

16. The second apparatus of claim 15, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second apparatus further causes: In response to receiving the device discovery request from the first device, the first address and the association between the first device and the first terminal device are stored together; and Based on the first address and the association relationship, at least one of the discovery response and the connection response is forwarded to the first terminal device through the first device.

17. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 10-16, wherein at least one of the connection request, the connection response, and the confirmation message includes security information of the TDLS connection, the security information being based at least on at least a portion of the first address of the first terminal device.

18. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 10-17, wherein the first apparatus includes a first routing device, the second apparatus includes a second routing device, and the first routing device and the second routing device communicate via at least one of the following: a wired connection and a wireless connection.

19. The second device according to any one of claims 10-18, wherein a portion of the first address of the first terminal device is the same as or different from a portion of the second address of the second terminal device.

20. A terminal device, comprising: At least one processor, and At least one memory stores instructions that are executed by the at least one processor to cause the terminal device to: The device receives a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with the first device from the second device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; Based on the first address, determine whether the first terminal device and the terminal device are associated with the same routing device; as well as In response to the fact that the first terminal device and the terminal device are not associated with the same routing device, a discovery response for the device discovery request of the first terminal device is sent to the second device.

21. The terminal device of claim 20, wherein the first address includes a first BSSID, and a comparison between the first BSSID and a second BSSID associated with the terminal device is used to determine whether the first terminal device and the terminal device are associated with the same routing device.

22. The terminal device according to claim 20, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device further causes: The second device receives a connection request from the first terminal device to establish a TDLS connection with the terminal device via a direct channel link. Send a connection response in response to the connection request; as well as Receive an acknowledgment message from the second device in response to the connection.

23. The terminal device of claim 20, wherein at least one of the connection request, the connection response, and the confirmation message includes security information of the TDLS connection, and when the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device further causes: Based on security information and the first BSSID of the first terminal device, the TDLS connection is securely authenticated.

24. A method for wireless connectivity, comprising: A device discovery request is received at a first device from a first terminal device associated with the first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; The device discovery request is sent via broadcast. Receives from the second device a discovery response to the device discovery request from a second terminal device associated with the second device, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; as well as Based on the first address, the discovery response is forwarded to the first terminal device.

25. A method for wireless connectivity, comprising: A device discovery request is received at the second device from the first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; The device discovery request is sent via broadcast. A discovery response for the device discovery request is received from a second terminal device associated with the second device, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; as well as Based on the first address, the discovery response is forwarded to the first terminal device via the first device.

26. A method for wireless connectivity, comprising: At the terminal device, a device discovery request is received from the second device from a first terminal device associated with the first device, the discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; Based on the first address, determine whether the first terminal device and the terminal device are associated with the same routing device; as well as In response to the fact that the first terminal device and the terminal device are not associated with the same routing device, a discovery response for the device discovery request of the first terminal device is sent to the second device.

27. An apparatus for communication, comprising: Components for receiving a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with the first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; Components used to broadcast the device discovery request; A component for receiving from a second device a discovery response to a device discovery request from a second device, the discovery response including a first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; as well as A component for forwarding the discovery response to the first terminal device based on the first address.

28. An apparatus for communication, comprising: A component for receiving a device discovery request from a first device, the device discovery request including a first address associated with a first terminal device; Components used to broadcast the device discovery request; A component for receiving a discovery response from a second terminal device associated with the second device in response to a device discovery request, the discovery response including the first address and a second address associated with the second terminal device; as well as A component for forwarding the discovery response to the first terminal device via the first device based on the first address.

29. An apparatus for communication, comprising: Components for receiving from a second device a device discovery request from a first terminal device associated with the first device, the discovery request including a first address associated with the first terminal device; A component used to determine, based on the first address, whether the first terminal device and the communication device are associated with the same routing device; as well as A component for sending a discovery response to the device discovery request of the first terminal device to the second device in response to the first terminal device and the means for communication not being associated with the same routing device.

30. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein for causing a device to perform at least the method of any one of claims 24-26.

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